ISIS threat rising in Syria, Iraq as US military warns terror attacks could double in 2024

ISIS attacks across Iraq and Syria are ramping up as the terrorist organization looks to boost its capabilities even as the U.S. and its allies continue to employ 'Defeat ISIS Missions'.

The number of attacks claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria are on track to more than double in 2024 from last year as the group looks to bolster its capabilities, warned the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) this week.

ISIS has claimed credit for 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria during the first six months of this year, which have prompted 196 "Defeat ISIS Missions" in 2024 alone. 

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The missions, carried out in coordination with CENTCOM, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, have resulted in the death of 44 ISIS operatives and the detainment of another 166 ISIS militants. 

The majority of operations this year have been carried out in Iraq, where 137 missions have been conducted, resulting in the death of 30 ISIS operatives and the detainment of 74 operatives.

CENTCOM said another 59 missions have been carried out in Syria, resulting in 14 ISIS operative deaths and the capture of 92 militants.

While eight senior ISIS leaders have been killed, and 32 captured, in both Iraq and Syria following the missions, there are still a reported 2,500 ISIS fighters "at large across Iraq and Syria."

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"The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield," said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. "We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces."

CENTCOM has not released data on how many combatant attacks were conducted in 2023, though reporting by AP suggested the figure was just over 120 attacks in both Iraq and Syria. 

The U.S. and its allies have been targeting ISIS in the Middle East since 2014, and several of its leaders have been killed in the decade since, including in 2019 when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the first ruler of ISIS, was killed in a U.S. military operation dubbed Operation Kayla Mueller in honor of the 26-year-old American aid worker who was captured by the terrorist organization in 2013 and held hostage for two years before she was killed in 2015. 

Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, who is believed to be the 5th ruler of ISIS, has held the role since 2023.